Well-drilling apparatus



w. OVERKAMP. WELL DRILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 191 8.

Patented July 12, 1921.

WA LTER OVERKAMP IN VEN TOR.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES WALTER OVERKAMP, 0F EVERGREEN, COLORADO.

WELL-DRILLING- APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, 1921.

Application filed March 29, 1918. Serial No. 225,502.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VALTER OVERKAMP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evergreen, in the county of Jefferson and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Well-Drilling Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to well drilling apparatus and especially to an improved combined drilling and pumping head.

It is one of the important objects of the present invention to provide a well drilling head which has the dual capacity of cutting or drilling in the well bottom and at the same time, during the operation, to pump the ground pulp from the well.

It is another object of the invention to provide for the ready renewal and for the reversal of the cutters which may be easily connected to and dismounted from the cutter-head.

It is another object of the invention to provide for the prevention of the relative movement during use of detachable cutters mounted upon the cutter-head and another object is to provide a simple, practicable, inexpensive, and durable combined drilling and pumping well drill head of such construction that the several parts are readily accessible and the fastening devices and the valve of the pump forming structure are protected against undue wear during the use of the device.

With these and other objects in view as will be rendered manifest to those skilled in the art the invention consists of the construction, the combination, and in details and parts and the organization thereof, as set forth in the following specification rel ative to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section of the drill head.

Fig. 2 is an underneath plan view of Fig 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the detached cutters.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view showing a form of valve gage.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention there is shown a section of a tubular drill rod or stem S which is internally threaded at its lower portion to receive the exteriorly threaded bushing or piston forming member 2 which may be of suitable lon gitudinal length and which is capable of be ing readily assembled in or removed from the drill tube, rod, or shank S.

One of the important features of this invention resides in the provision of a well drill having the dual functions of drilling and pumping during the operation of the drill and this is accomplished by providing the bushing or head member 2 with a suitable cutting means here shown as comprising a set of duplicate axe-like blades 3 the acting edges of which have a length slightly greater than the length of the radius of the tube S so as to cut a hole with the diameter sufliciently large to permit the shank or tube to run down. The cutters 3 are each provided with a shank 4 which is preferably of polygonal cross section so as to snugly fit in respective apertures or openings provided therefor and extending from one end face to the other of the bushing or member 2. The object of providing a polygonal stem and a similar aperture is to prevent the rotation of the blades 3 when they are assembled in the drill head. The cutters may be firmly but detachably mounted in the head by a suitable means and herein each of the shanks is threaded as at 5 where it projects above the upper face of the bushing 2 to receive a nut 6 which may be turned down against a washer 7 bearing on the bushing 2. To prevent accidental loosening or dislodgment of the fastening nut 6, means as cotter-pinsS may be passed through threaded ends above the nuts. By providing cutters 3 each of duplicate form and whose edges 12 extend equi-distant on each side of the axial line of the shank 4 these cutters may, after their outer corners 13 have been worn down by use, be reversed, corner for corner, or diametrically and thus keep the hole to the desired diameter as drilling proceeds.

Where the bodies of the blades 3 join into the shanks 4 there are formed oppositely projecting shoulders 14 which are of less length across the head of the cutters than the edges 12 so as to provide for the ready passage of pulp upwardly through a port or passageway 9 shown as disposed centrally in the bushing 2, this passageway being antomatically closed upon the upward stroke of the drilling device by a suitable valve 10. Preferably this valve is of a ball form so that it can freely shift and wear universally over its surface and form a simple and effective closure when bearing on its seat at the end of the valve port 9, this form of 5 valve also being free from guides or other contrlvances which ordinarily obstruct the passage of the pulp, but to prevent the ball valve from moving too far up into the tube and so as to cause it to be quickly 10 seated, a suitable cage is provided and as shown comprising a palr of crossed U-brackets 11 fastened by screws or bolts 15 at the top of the bushing 2.

Manifestly the device may be constructed 15 in various modifications over that herein illustrated still within the principle of the invention and clearly as many of the cutters 3 may be provided as is desirable and as may be determined by the size of the drill and the strength of the material of which the bushing or other members may be constructed. What I claim is:

1. The combination of a drill rod having a tubular end, a drill head adapted to be cal reversible cutters. each having a shank fitting' onebfsaid holes, each shank having a threaded end, and nuts for engaging the threaded ends of the shanks to secure the cutters removably in place and permit them to be reversed.

2. The combination of a tubular drill rod, a drill head adapted to be removably secured within one end of said tubular drill rod, said drill head having a central hole 40 and four holes equally spaced apart at equal distances from the center, cutters having shanks seated 1n said equally spaced holes,

the ends of said shanks being threaded, nuts threaded on said shanks for securing the cutters to said drill head, a ball/valve adgpt ediolcloseisaidfifil lral ho'l'gtfg qutflgv from tl eltubular drill ro dliaiidfa ball confi'fiifig cage having bracket arms secured to the head between said nuts.

3. The combination of a drill rod having an internally threaded end, an exteriorly threaded drill head adapted to be screwed into the threaded end of the drill rod, said head having a plurality of symmetrical nonround holes parallel with the axis of said head and symmetrically disposed about the center of the head, a plurality of symmetrical reversible cutters, each having a shank conforming to said holes in cross section, and adapted to extend therethrough, the end of each shank being threaded, and nuts fitting the threaded ends of said shanks for securing the cutters in place so that they may be removed, interchanged, or reversed in position.

4. The combination of a tubular drill rod having an internally threaded end, an ex teriorly threaded drill head adapted to be screwed into the threaded end of said tubular drill rod, said drill head having a central hole, and four holes equally spaced apart at equal distances from the center, the cutters having shanks seated in said equally spaced holes, the ends of said'shanks being threaded, nuts thread-ed on said shanks for securing the cutters to said drill head, a ball valve adapted to close said central hole to outflow from the tubular drill rod, and a ball confinin cage having bracket arms secured to sald head between said nuts.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WALTER OVERKAMP. 

